Fairy (Touhou Project)
Basic Info A fairy (妖精 yousei) is a small, simple, humanoid creature of magic that represents some aspect of nature. Many of them are also simple-minded. They tend to have short lives, but they will regenerate immediately after dying. In the games themselves, the fairies are by far the most common general stage enemy in the Touhou Project. The way they shoot danmaku all depends on what difficulty the player chooses and what stage they appear in. They can come in different kinds of colored dresses and hair, and can appear bigger than usual at times, such as the Sunflower Fairy. A fairy may have abilities relating to the four seasons, weather, emotions, longevity, decay, fertility, or other aspects of nature. The power exercised by a single fairy is usually harmless and small scale, so they're more suited to playing around rather than causing major happenings. Fortunately, most fairies are easily amused by pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. However, since fairies tend to gather in areas frequented by humans and youkai, a large group of fairies may indicate the presence of a powerful youkai. Appearance In the case for Cirno's game sprites and for the fairies who showed up in Touhou Sangetsusei, there were many who took the form of humanoid children with wings, usually mayfly- or butterfly-like, though more unusual cases exist (such as Cirno's triple icicle wings). It is thus common to perceive all fairies to look that way. However, as an exception, the Fairy Maids from the Scarlet Devil Mansion looked more like adults. Therefore, it does not seem like all fairies look like young girls. For those who showed up in Touhou Sangetsusei, in terms of design, they actually looked more like little girls than young girls. This is due to the design of Makoto Hirasaka. Their wings might not be solid; in most depictions, they appear to float over the fairy's clothes, unconnected to their body, and some fairies have shown the ability to hide them. Occurrence (birth) Fairies spring forth from nature, and as long as that nature is preserved, they're indestructible. (In G-MAN R.O.T.S. They're bound to their Fairy Father Davide so they can exist without needing nature. Which means, Fairies will respawn at Davide when they die and you will have to kill him to make the fairies disappear.) On the other hand, if that nature is lost, the fairies who spring forth from that disappear forever. Among the powers of Gensokyo, they exist in considerable numbers, and guessing from sayings in the manga, they are fewer than spirits, but are probably around the same number as phantoms and far greater than the number of humans. As this is merely numbers, it is not related to their strength. It's not clear what kinds of fairies spring forth from what kinds of nature, but taking Lily White as an example who is the "fairy of spring", it can be conceived that the nature is the season of spring. Other than in spring, it is a mystery what Lily does and where she is. Some logical possibilities include the idea that she would sleep due to losing energy or due to being ill-suited to the conditions that she disappears due to coming forth only when the condition is met, or that she turns into another kind of fairy. However, in Silent Sinner in Blue, since she made an appearance at the party at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, which opened in winter, the possibility that she disappears or becomes debilitated outside of spring is quite low. To Cirno, the Three Fairies of Light said, "for your season, when spring arrives, you would then become out of season," and so Cirno provoked that winter ought to fight, thus indicating a high possibility that when the nature from which the fairy sprung forth becomes weak, the fairy would become weaker accordingly, and that the fairies are aware of this themselves. However, when it is not winter, since Cirno does not seem to become extremely weakened, this might just be a mistake due to the Three Fairies of Light. In the first place, since it has not been seen that Cirno becomes stimulated upon the arrival of winter the same way as for Lily White of spring, and since it seems like she does not really like winter all that much due to its boredom, she might not actually be a fairy who springs forth from winter. Since they spring forth from nature, they do not leave children, as it would be unnecessary in the first place. However, with the introduction of lampads with Clownpiece, there are now also a species of fairies that can be said to be born from other beings. Size and height mystery Their height is uniformly small, where they can fit in the palm of a hand, up to the size of a child below ten years of age; there is hardly any fairy outside of this scope. This was said in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, which is not reliable due to requests from the youkai to change how strong they seem, but due to the number of fairies and their range from the Human Village, it's likely that there'd be no reason to write lies in relation to fairies. However, since it was written that there are merely "hardly any" fairies outside of the scope, that still leaves open the possibility of exceptions. In reality, girls of 9 years of age have the average height of around 130cm, so a fairies size goes from being in palm of a hand to around 130cm. As for whether there would be an exception to being bigger than this, it is a mystery since there is much conflicting information regarding their size. Since they a characteristic of become stronger or weaker depending on their surroundings, they might possibly also change their size due to their surroundings as well, although that's just speculation. In chapter 8 of Strange and Bright Nature Deity, Sakuya Izayoi intended to capture Lily White in a bottle. If this is not a misunderstanding, then Lily White would be extremely small. However, it is somewhat of a question as for whether this actually did happen since there were not many scenes in the manga where her size could be compared to surrounding objects, so it is a mystery if Lily White really is tiny. However, she was seen at normal size in chapter 9 of Silent Sinner in Blue, Perfect Cherry Blossom and Phantasmagoria of Flower View. In the manga, the Three Fairies of Light were shorter than Marisa Kirisame. Marisa's size is "fairly short", while Cirno's size is "short", where other characters in the same category are Remilia Scarlet, Lyrica Prismriver, Chen, Rumia and Flandre Scarlet. I Due to this, and also due to scenes where Cirno and the three fairies played or performed pranks together, where there is not much of a difference in height to be seen between them, they are probably around the same height as the aforementioned characters as well. Also in Touhou Hisoutensoku, when comparing Cirno against Remilia, their heights are very similar. However, in Shanghai Alice Correspondence Three Fairies Version Volume 2, concerning the three fairies' place of residence, it stated, "in each of their rooms, it is about one mat spacious, and on the level of 1 meter tall, and a place that is definitely not spacious enough for adult humans to enter." Due to this, it can be understood to be considerably narrow. Interpreted as it is, their height would be less than 100cm, but since in the manga, they reach the ceiling to the extent that others usually do, they're conceivably of a height even shorter than this. However, even if they live in such a small space, it was said that they lived in a large tree, but if their residence is this small, then it becomes impossible to see it as so giant of a tree, thus complicating the issue of their size and residence. There was one time when Cirno went into the three fairies' residence, but it was extremely confined. However, since the size of the room became clear; there are interpretations that they might become smaller upon entering their residence. The world's largest tree is a giant sequoia that's around 11.1m in diameter and it'd probably be difficult to create several rooms 1 mat wide and 1 meter tall. There's a sense that it'd be impossible consider it a place to live for humans, and for fairies to live there would be a plus to the tree, as it's been confirmed that living there has an effect of promoting its growth, but even considering this, it still seems inconceivable that no damage would be dealt to the tree by physically removing a great amount of space from the middle of the tree, as in the case for flowers, there'd be the possibility of inflicting fatal damage even for fairies at a tiny size. However, one thing to be noted is that when the three fairies change residence, they diligently move all their belongings, but it doesn't seem like they do large-scale work even if the tree was split in two by lightning. This leads to several logical conclusions, such as the possibility that their place of residence is like another dimension, and thus the size of the tree could be smaller than their residence, or that the fairies become smaller when they enter. Of course, Life span, going out of commission Since they exist only in the bounds that the nature they spring from be preserved, they're immortal in some sense. It's unknown if they have everlasting youth, but there hasn't been a depiction where any have been depicted to have aged appearance-wise. In the afterword for Strange and Bright Nature Deity Vol. 1, it stated, "minors are prohibited from drinking sake, but since fairies are long-lived, in order not to misunderstand..." and if this is to be followed, then the Three Fairies of Light would be at least 20 years of age (NB: the drinking age in Japan is 20). In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Cirno said, "It's the festival that happens once every sixty years!" and if Cirno did experience the previous cycle's incident, then Cirno would've lived for at least 60 years. However, fairies aren't undying, as it's been made clear that there's a condition that's like death, mentioned in Strange in Bright Nature Deity as "going out of commission" (一回休み), and the fact that Komachi Onozuka states fairies have got no life span, being similar to phantoms. The reasons for death aren't different at all from that of a human, and for example, at New Year's Eve, there was a conversation at the Hakurei Shrine where Star Sapphire said, "I heard the humans have a custom where they'll get drunk and fall asleep and freeze to death in the snow," to which Sunny Milk responded, "Haha, how peaceful. We'd only be dead until sunrise, though."[ Since this was said on New Year's Eve, in the understanding of the Three Fairies of Light, it seems like they'd recover in a night, but also it seems like this speed would be different depending on the circumstances. In Subterranean Animism, the Zombie Fairies were merely pretending to be zombies, but in the game itself, they became half-transparent and stopped, and recovered a few seconds later. However it is conceived, they recovered instantly. A possibility is that this is convenient for gameplay, or that they might just be fairies that recovered extremely fast. Location Fairies live all over Gensokyo, and they were also in the Underworld, Enigma and even in Hell. Since they receive the influence of the surrounding nature in their environment, they have delicate differences in strength and appearance. The Three Fairies of Light have a residence, but it's a tree of a forest, and they later moved and lived in a tree near the Hakurei Shrine. Cirno also has a residence close to the Misty Lake that is somewhat like an igloo. Other fairies also have similar dwellings, but it may take up a great amount of space considering their numbers. As Marisa Kirisame said, "they mostly cleverly hide themselves in nature, like inside flowers or in the soil". When these dwellings are seen by humans, like in the case of the Three Fairies of Light's residence, it looks like an ordinary tree, and is therefore unable to be discovered. Reimu Hakurei didn't notice their dwelling despite having actually arriving at it several times. In other words, although the dwelling of the fairies was inside, humans would generally not notice it. As an exception, when Marisa was called over for incident resolution regarding the Three Fairies of Light, she was able to recognize their residence. However, she wasn't seen entering it. There were also cases when the fairies themselves invited others over, but it's unclear what can be confirmed about the kind of place they live in. For the tree that Reimu didn't notice as a dwelling, there was a time when Yukari Yakumo saw through that they lived there. In the same way, the Three Fairies of Light were able to discover Cirno's residence, and destroyed it, which became the subject of the game Fairy Wars. There are also fairies who live in human-made residences for humans to live in, who can be said to be represented by the Fairy Maids who live in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. There was also the fairy of rainy season who lived in the attic of Kourindou. It's unknown if fairies live in the Human Village, but concerning fairies, whose purpose of existence is to perform mischief to humans, it can be considered that there aren't many cases of those who live close to humans. Perhaps to perform mischief, they frequently appear in the Human Village. That's the reason why they can be caught, for venting anger on them, which Hieda no Akyuu also recommended. Thanks to Clownpiece, she immigrated fairies from Hell to the Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon, which is considered a fairy paradise. It is because of these fairies that Mare Tranquillitatis has an atmosphere due to their incarnations of nature, as suggested by Sanae Kochiya, but Clownpiece suggested that there were already fairies on the Moon. It's unknown if fairies still live here after the events of Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom. Ecology Fairies do not require food to stay alive, and there's only been cases of fairies eating food because they seemed delicious. However, they do have taste, and they like food that human children like. Luna Child is an exception for liking coffee. Coffee was too bitter for Cirno to drink. Also, they drink alcohol and do get drunk. It also commented that Fairy Maids receive no wage, but are instead given food, tea and freedom. There are many depictions of Fairy Maids drinking tea. There was a scene in Touhou Sangetsusei where a fairy changed clothing, and in all scenes so far, they change into clothes of the same design as before. There was also a scene where the Three Fairies of Light stole some maid clothing from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Activities Many fairies see playing mischief on humans as their purpose in life. In Touhou Sangetsusei, they often steal and pick up ingredients and tools, like coffee. The Kourindou has also been a victim to this before. They appear to be disliked by humans. Cirno is well-known for freezing frogs. Also, there was a scene where she played hide-and-seek with Daiyousei. They also go went on a "trial of guts" at the Hakurei Shrine where the three fairies of light and youkai participated. Fairies often play with each other and other species. According to Sakuya Izayoi, Fairy maids are rarely of any use in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and are unsuited towards performing complex tasks, relating to how fairies are not very smart. Since fairies maids do at least exist, it means they are at least able to do some tasks a maid can. They have been confirmed to wash clothes, cook and play musical instruments. Thus, despite not being smart, they can still perform a variety of tasks. Strength and Danger Fairies are weak. They often appear as generic, weak stage enemies alongside phantoms and flying yin-yang, and often appear in game just for the sake of being defeated. Unlike spirits, though, most fairies can speak. Daiyousei is an exception for having a greater amount of power among the fairies. Cirno and Lily White are comparatively strong, so they can be dangerous to the ordinary human. Sometimes they play "pranks that go too far", like making humans fall from cliffs, and that would be a dangerous aspect of them. Thus, Akyuu recommended to take caution in places where a fairy might be there. Sunny Milk once said that Lily White was dangerous and one must not get close to her. According to Akyuu, Cirno is one of the stronger of the fairies, and since she is used to battle, Cirno has the upper hand even if she goes against all Three Fairies of Light at the same time, as shown in Fairy Wars. Among the fairies, she also has a greater tendency to fight, which makes her more dangerous than normal fairies. According to Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu's words, Cirno's power may eventually surpass that of a fairy's. In Touhou Sangetsusei, the Three Fairies of Light have had their power levels remain constant throughout. Daiyousei was remarked to be "one with power among the fairies". Thus, to normal fairies, she has more power than the average one, but not enough to match Cirno's level. The fairies appear very powerful in Fairy Wars, but it was in Cirno's perspective, and she is just capable to stand against Marisa Kirisame, a powerful human. Clownpiece is exceptionally a very strong fairy, who is capable of fighting against other strong characters such as Reimu Hakurei and Marisa. Intelligence Fairies are generally not clever. For example, in the manual for Fairy Wars, it was remarked, "when the war ends, they will completely forget everything they said." They are about on the level of a child, but there is also variation. Here are examples of things that they can do: Talk, Read & Write, Cook, Remember winter events during spring, Run a stall, Fight. Economic impact Since they don't require food, and live within nature, they generally have no need for money. However, the Three Fairies of Light get coffee to prepare it, and therefore need to obtain the ingredients needed for it. Fairies steal things as a prank, but they've said that they never steal money. The three fairies have visited the Myouren Temple without needing to disguise the fact that they're fairies, indicating that despite their mischief, there is no overt hatred against them. Category:Species